Bankruptcy and the Collateral Channel
Author(s)
Benmelech, Efraim; Bergman, Nittai
DownloadBergman_Bankruptcy and.pdf (555.5Kb)
OPEN_ACCESS_POLICY
Open Access Policy
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike
Terms of use
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Do bankrupt firms impose negative externalities on their nonbankrupt competitors? We propose and analyze a collateral channel in which a firm’s bankruptcy reduces the collateral value of other industry participants, thereby increasing their cost of debt financing. We identify the collateral channel using novel data of secured debt tranches issued by U.S. airlines that include detailed descriptions of the underlying collateral pools. Our estimates suggest that industry bankruptcies have a sizeable impact on the cost of debt financing of other industry participants. We discuss how the collateral channel may lead to contagion effects that amplify the business cycle during industry downturns.
Date issued
2011-03Department
Sloan School of ManagementJournal
Journal of Finance
Publisher
American Finance Association
Citation
BENMELECH, EFRAIM, and NITTAI K. BERGMAN. “Bankruptcy and the Collateral Channel.” The Journal of Finance 66.2 (2011) : 337-378.
Version: Author's final manuscript
ISSN
0022-1082